


Mercy

by zmoc



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-12
Updated: 2014-10-30
Packaged: 2018-01-15 11:22:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1303045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zmoc/pseuds/zmoc
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Felicity is shattered when she discovers the secret Oliver and the team have kept from her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Rights

“Are you going to tell her, Ollie?”

Felicity paused as she emerged from the small bathroom, moving into the shadows as she strained to hear more than the unintelligible rumble of her partner’s response.

“I think Helena - Huntress - whatever said something to her.You need to face this head on.If she finds out that you knew, and that we all know,” Sara’s voice trailed off, followed by another rumble from Oliver.

Felicity squared her shoulders, wincing slightly as her movement stretched the bandage on her back and forced her chin up as she stepped into the light.

“You all know?” she questioned, her voice husky and low, yet seeming to echo in the sudden silence.  Her brows furrowed as Sara took a step back, her hands raised in surrender.  Oliver had turned at her first step, panic demolishing his usual stoic mask.

“Felicity,” he started.“I - uh - we - we didn’t realize you would get cleaned up so quickly.”

She glared at him, ignoring his clumsy attempt to steer the conversation away.  She heard Sara start to speak but didn't register her words, and a few moments later she heard the clang of the foundry door behind her.  It was just Team Arrow now, the true core team of Diggle, Oliver and herself.  

“Did you know?” she turned her glare on the bodyguard and stumbled when she saw him flinch.“John?You knew?What she said was true?And you never told me?”

“Felicity,” Oliver stepped into her view, one arm outstretched as if to - what, exactly?She stepped out of his reach with a slight shake of her head, not caring to see the hurt cross his face.  

“Don’t.”

He sighed, his arm dropping to his side as she positioned herself so she could see both men, the distance she maintained not lost on any of them.

“Tonight, I thought Helena was just playing mind games.She likes to do that - last time,” she trailed off, her arms crossing her abdomen and hugging herself gently.Diggle’s heart broke at the familiar pose, recalling her stories of a childhood devoid of touch, a disturbed mother and absent father.

“She said, she told me that you knew who I was, who he was before you approached me with that laptop.I didn’t believe her.I couldn’t let myself believe that you would do that to me.” 

Oliver didn’t respond, just hung his head with a sigh.

Diggle had been the recipient of Felicity’s loud voice before.He’d seen her verbally castrate a few people who had crossed her, seen her eviscerate men his size and reduce them to jello, leaving them wondering what the hell had happened.Diggle didn’t fear her loud voice.But when Felicity got quiet, when her words came out slowly, measured, each syllable coming one at a time, that’s when Diggle knew to be scared.

“Tell me, Oliver.Right now.Tell me the _truth_.” Her voice rose on that last word, her inflection driving it into their ears, echoing in the cavernous basement.

She shifted, her arms crossing her chest as she pinned him with her glare, her glasses seeming to focus her anger on him rather than deflecting the intensity of her gaze.

“I knew,” his voice was hoarse as he started.“Ivo- your father - he told me about you while we were both imprisoned by Slade.I didn’t believe him at first, I didn’t want to believe he had started out with the intent to do good.”He broke off for a moment, his eyes intense as he finally met her angry glower.

“Slade used to taunt him with the Mirakuru, he didn’t know why Ivo was so desperate for it but it didn’t stop him from rubbing in the fact that it was so close to him and yet out of his reach.Those nights, he would talk.Tell me about his wife, his kids.”  

Unbidden, tears slipped from her eyes.He stepped towards her again but she stopped him, her voice like ice.

“More.”

“Felicity,” he protested.

“More,” she hissed, swiping angrily at her tears.

He sighed, his shoulders slumped.

“He told me about you, how smart you were.And your brother, and how sick he was.And,” he broke off, not wanting to go on.

“And my mom, and how very disturbed she was,” the blonde finished angrily, spitting the words at him.

“Yeah.”

She took a moment to digest the information she’d just learned.Diggle cringed when she posed her next question.

“So knowing the why, knowing all of that, you still killed him when you got the chance?”

Oliver stepped back, absorbing the blow of her words, the anger behind them.

“It - it wasn’t like that.”

“What was it like, Oliver?You knew, you knew why.He didn’t go about it the best way, he was probably evil, and he deserved to be punished, yes, but you knew what he was fighting for, and against.Did you just ignore all that when you appointed yourself judge, jury and executioner?”

He was on her in an instant, his hands gripping her upper arms and shaking her lightly to break off her tirade.

“No,” his voice should have been a roar, but it was a tight, angry whisper.“Slade tortured us every day, coming up with new ways to make us suffer.Your dad never broke, though he had no reason to hope.Slade wanted us to beg for death, but Ivo, he never gave up.Not until one day, Slade came in with the biggest grin on his face, holding this battered file in his hands.He told your dad he’d gotten a transmission, from a doctor on the mainland.‘Seems like little Evan didn’t make it,’ he said.I’ll never forget the glee in his voice.”He went silent for a moment, one hand moving under her chin to tip her head up to meet his eyes.“That night was the first night he begged me to end it for him.”  

She pulled against his grasp and after a moment he let her go, watching her warily as she retreated towards her computer station.Silence reigned for a few minutes, until finally he continued.

“Slade let us alone for a couple of days after that, wanting Ivo to have nothing but time to realize his loss, his failure.  Wanting me to watch him break.  Then he started up again, worse this time, his cuts more precise, his ideas more devious.Your father just went along with it, never fighting, barely flinching.He was looking for death, Felicity.He wanted it to end.”He paused, taking a deep breath before continuing.  

“That last night, he begged.He begged, and pleaded.He couldn’t go back and face your mom, he couldn’t go back and see that Evan wasn't there, that he had let you down, his little genius.So I agreed.They had dislocated my shoulder a few days before, so when Slade’s men came for us, they weren’t being as careful as they usually were.I slipped their grasp and grabbed Ivo, broke his neck before they could stop me.” 

Her muffled whimper was the only sound, her hands braced against her desk as she mourned the only father her 7 year old self knew.Diggle came up behind her, trying to put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but she jerked away.

“No,” she snapped, the quiet fury back in her voice.“No, we’re not done.Why, Oliver, why did you seek me out?”

“I- I had to see,” he trailed off, not wanting to finish his statement.

“You had to see if I would blossom into an evil, deranged computer scientist, like my parents?”

“No, not that,” he protested vehemently.“After I got away from Slade, and off the island, I started looking into things.The first thing I looked up was your family.Evan didn’t die when we were captured by Slade.Slade figured out your dad’s weakness and exploited it, destroying him.”

“Yup,” she responded, her words low and dripping with angry sarcasm.“Evan died the year before I met you.”

“Yeah,” he started, his voice gravelly with pain.  

“So I looked you up.I wasn’t prepared,” he stopped mid phrase, trying to gather his thoughts.“I wasn’t prepared for you, Felicity.I’ve told you that before.I thought I would just check you out, keep an eye on you.I didn’t expect to _need_ you.”

She sniffed at that, busying herself at her station by gathering her things.

“How does everyone know?”

Digg eyed Oliver over her head, stepping up to help his friend.

“He told me one night, in the midst of an island story.It wasn’t my secret to tell, but I’m sorry.”

“It wasn’t your secret to keep either, John,” she snapped, her voice laced with venom.

“I admit, I shouldn’t have told Helena.It slipped out one night before I realized how disturbed she truly was,” Oliver moved forward, deflecting her anger back to him.  

“You trusted her,” Felicity sneered.

“I did.It was a mistake.With Sara, I felt she had a right to know.”He blanched, realizing too late that he had used the worst words possible.

“She had a right?She had a right?” Felicity’s voice squeaked in anger.Oliver and Diggle stepped back, both giving her space.

“What about my rights?What about my trust?He was my father.This is my _life_ ,” she was hissing now, the cords of her neck straining as she tried to control her rage.“I asked you once, Oliver, if I could trust you.Stupid me, I believed you when you said yes.And Digg, John, you were my friend.You should have told me.You should have pushed _him_ to tell me.”She broke off, panting.  

“Felicity,” Oliver tried to interrupt, but she cut him off.

“No.No ‘Felicity’.You kept this, this huge secret from me, and made it pillow talk for your girlfriends.You told our other closest friend and convinced him to keep it from me too.You lied to me, you made a mockery of our _partnership,_ and you absolutely violated my trust in you.I’m done.”  

She spun towards the door, not at all surprised when she felt Oliver clamp down on her elbow and pull her to a stop.  

“Wait - just wait.”He forced her to turn and face him, visibly flinching at the rage in her eyes.“I’m sorry.I didn’t know it would snowball like this.It got out of control and went too far.I should have told you.”

“Yes, you should have,” she seethed, yanking her arm out of his grip and turning for the door.She stopped short as she realized Diggle had stepped in her way.She took a half step back, tilting her head to regard the big man.He met her angry gaze for a long moment, then stepped out of her way with a sigh and murmured apology.

Silence reigned in the Foundry long after she slammed the steel door behind her.

 


	2. Glass

Felicity’s world shattered on a Thursday night.She planned on giving herself 3 days to indulge her grief and anger before figuring out what to do.She was given less than 3 hours. 

She’d held herself together well enough to drive home, locking her door and making it onto her couch before she broke down.She cried for her brother, the argument tonight dredging up memories of his prolonged suffering until his last days.She sobbed for her father, so twisted in his desperation for a cure that he’d made himself into a monster, a futile monster who had taken countless lives in his failed quest.She even cried for her mother, her mind still so warped that she didn’t realize Evan and her father were gone.  

Her nails dug into her palms as she tried to get under control, sobs shuddering through her body as she finally, finally cried for herself.She cried for her lost youth, she cried for her broken trust, she cried for the pain of her closest friends’ betrayal.She slammed her fists into the couch cushions, trying to vent her anger physically, but that wouldn't work for her.She didn’t take out frustrations against sparring dummies or brutal workouts, she bested them with her greatest weapon, her mind.  

She jumped when she felt the cool hand against the back of her neck, stiffening when she felt familiar arms wrap around her shoulders, his lips near her ear as he tried to calm her.

“Oliver?” she gasped out, her tears ceasing.

“I had to check on you,” he started after a long pause.“You weren’t answering your phone and I had to make sure you made it home okay.”

She took a deep, shuddering breath, letting it out slowly while she gathered her thoughts.

“You don’t get to do that,” she started, her voice raspy after her tears.“You don’t get to call me and check up on me any more.You don’t get to worry, and you don’t get to assuage your guilt by showing up, uninvited.I told you, I’m done.We’re done.”

She wasn’t prepared for him to flip her on to her back and pin her to the couch.

“Stop it.You’re not done.We’re not done.You can’t walk out on me, on us.We need you, Felicity.”

“Get off of me, Oliver.Let me go.”She kept her voice firm and low, knowing that there was no way she could physically compete with him.A few hours ago, she wouldn’t have had that feeling of unease, but now, now she had no comfort in the fact that she _knew_ Oliver.The realization was that she _didn’t_ know him, didn’t know this man who could so willfully lie to her, keep such a monumental secret from her, didn’t know this man who didn’t trust her.But she did.

He hesitated for a moment, then slowly let her up, still lingering too close for her comfort.

She rose and retreated to her small galley kitchen, busying herself with a glass of water as she splashed some against her burning eyes.  

“I’m going to ask you to leave now,” she finally broke the silence, focusing on the candid pictures she had stuck to her fridge.“I need some time to digest what you did, and to figure out what to do next.”

“No.”Felicity was proud of herself for not jumping and yelping as she realized Oliver had used his stealth to move directly behind her.His hand settled on her shoulder and she turned slowly to face him, his bulk making her small kitchen seem tiny.“Come on, Felicity.Talk to me.We can work through this.”

She shook her head, her eyes flicking to the floor before meeting his.In the half light of her kitchen, she could just make out the lighter flecks of gray, reminding her of the ocean under a new moon.

“I can’t,” she responded.“Please leave.”

“I can’t,” he mimicked after a frustrated huff.“I can’t leave you like this, Felicity.You have to-“

“No,” she cut him off, the anger from before mingling with her frustration and bubbling to the top.“I don’t have to do anything, Oliver.Please. Leave.”

He shook his head and slowly took a step closer, frowning when she backed into the fridge.

“Felicity, come on,” he started, disbelief coloring his tone.

“Get out.”

He sighed and planted his hands on his hips, studying her face in earnest now, seeing the anger she was directing at him.He realized they would get nowhere that night, and switched gears.

“OK.You win.I’ll go, but we’re going to talk this through, Felicity.I’m not just going to let you walk away.You’re still _my_ friend, _my_ partner, and I’m not letting you go.”

Tears were streaming down her face before he finished speaking, and she shoved at him.

“Just go,” her voice cracked as she pushed past him towards the bedroom, slamming the door behind her and leaving him in the otherwise silent apartment.

He stood at the bedroom door for a moment, his shoulders dropping when he heard her muffled sobs, but this time he followed her orders and left.Diggle was right.He needed to let her work this out of her system, then they could talk.

 


	3. Cold Fusion

 

Felicity cried herself to sleep around 4 AM on Friday morning.She slept an exhausted, dreamless sleep and finally woke around noon, checking her phone and allowing herself a brief smile when she saw an email from Oliver excusing her from her QC duties for the day.Still angry and frustrated, she thought through the last 24 hours.She was stuck.

Slade was still at large, producing Mirakuru and becoming more dangerous with each passing day.As angry and hurt as she was, she wouldn’t abandon her old team to face him alone.He was still the largest threat to the city.In order for her to be able to move on with her life, she needed to help them eliminate this problem.The thought of Slade sullying the memory of Evan was an unstated motivation for her.No emotion was permitted, just dealing with the obstacle at hand and moving forward.

She showered and dressed, grabbing a banana and an energy bar as she headed for the foundry.She had an idea and she wanted to explore it before it faded.Letting herself in through the street access door, she was happy to find the space empty.She needed to concentrate.With that in mind, she quickly tapped a few keys on her computer and changed the access codes, preventing any unwanted interruptions.  

She pulled up her favorite playlist and got to work.In observing Roy, she noted that the Mirakuru thrived on anger, feeding into the rage until it reached an uncontrollable level.Having worked on the antiserum for Vertigo, she knew that the drug had the ability to act like ecstasy, releasing happy endorphins into the bloodstream.If she could use this to counteract the Mirakuru, she might be able to create a temporary damper for its effects, giving Oliver and his team a window of opportunity to defeat Slade on an even playing field.

As she set her latest formula in the centrifuge to spin down, she busied herself at the computers, putting the final touches on the user friendly monitoring program she’d been developing.Ever since Oliver had blown up at her about her absences to sit with Barry, she had been working out a way to have her presence in the foundry, even when she wasn’t physically there.  

Busy with her two projects, she didn’t hear her phone ringing, or the pounding at the steel door above her.She was shocked when Roy appeared before her, his knuckles bloody.

“Geez Blondie, what are you trying to do, give us all a heart attack?”

“What?”

He looked at her in disbelief, unable to accept that she had truly not heard him knock down the reinforced steel door.  

“We’ve been trying to get ahold of you for hours.Oliver finally realized you were in here and had done something funky to the locks.”

“Oh.Yeah, sorry Roy, I was in the middle of something and didn’t want to be interrupted.”The centrifuge beeped and she rushed over, pulling out the test tubes with the bright blue substance in them.  

“Excellent.Hey wait, if Oliver was so worried, why are you the only one here?”

Roy rolled his eyes.“Digg is making him calm down up there.Well, Digg and Sara.He’s a little angry.”

Felicity shrugged, unconcerned so long as her mind was occupied with this new solution.

“Hey Roy, will you be my guinea pig?”

He shook his head, unable to keep up with her quick change of subject.

“What?”

“I’ve been working on this damper for the effects of the Mirakuru.I think I can suppress the effects, but just for a few minutes.I’d like to test it on you, but be warned, the formula is based on Vertigo.”

He sat in silence for a moment, then caught up with her verbal diarrhea.“Slow down, Blondie.Let me get this straight.You locked us all out of here, for the last 8 hours.In that time, you may or may not have come up with a cure for the Mirakuru.And you want to test it on me, but it’s based on a street drug?”

“Temporary and pretty much and not really a street drug more like our anti-serum but yes.”

“And you want to test it on me?”

“Please?”

He chuckled.“OK.But cuff me to the table first.I don’t want the effects to reverse and you to be in danger.”

“Thanks Roy,” she said, excited to try out her cure.

She carefully cuffed him to the table, trying not to latch the bonds too tightly.She took the precaution of wrapping gauze around his wrists, not wanting him to strain against the cuffs and hurt himself.  

“I know you hate needles, so I just need you to focus somewhere else.”

“OK.”

“Ready?”

He took a deep breath and met her eyes, nodding.She slowly injected the blue serum into his arm, stepping back out of reach so she could observe the effects.

“How do you feel?” she questioned anxiously, now thinking that her plan to use Roy as a live test subject was maybe not the wisest.

“Cold,” he responded, surprise tinging his voice.

“Is that bad?Are you breathing ok?”

“Yeah - it’s just, one of the effects of the Mirakuru stuff is that you are always, always hot.I can feel it, the stuff you put in me.It’s cold, it’s moving through me and making everything cool.Amazing.”He grinned up at her, and she smiled back at his surprising innocence.

She frowned as she heard footsteps and didn't turn, knowing it would be the rest of the team.

“What’s going on?” Oliver asked quietly.

“Just an experiment,” she muttered.

“Don’t downplay it, Blondie.It’s amazing.”Felicity smiled softly at Roy and made a note to decrease the endorphin stimulation in the next batch.He was becoming very, very happy.  

She flinched as Oliver settled a hand on her shoulder, trying to shrug it off.Roy noticed her movement and frowned.

“Hey man, stop that, she doesn’t like it.”He tried to rise and tug against the restraints, but he could barely move his arms.

“Hey, Blondie, it’s working!”She smiled as she deliberately moved away from Oliver, focusing on Roy.

“How do you feel?”  

“Cool all over, and really weak, like I’m pushing through mud.Slow too,” he commented.  

She smiled, happy that the cure seemed to be working.She studied Roy for any degeneration, but he seemed in awe, maybe somewhat stoned.They talked for a few minutes, and she ventured close enough to take his vitals.Everything trended in the low part of normal, which was what she’d hoped for.  

She wanted to test his strength, handing him a tennis ball and asking him to squeeze it.He could barely get the ball to change shape before he lost his grip, sending it bouncing across the floor.She gave him a chopstick, asking him to break it, but he was unable to even get it to bend.

“Uh oh,” Roy interrupted her thoughts.

“What’s wrong?” She questioned, peering at him.

“I’m starting to feel warm again.You might want to step back, Felicity, just in case.”

She heeded his warning, retreating well out of his range.  

“Talk to me Roy, what’s happening?”

“It’s incredible, like this slow heat taking over.”

“How are you feeling?”

He sighed, disappointed.“I can feel it coming back, all the anger, all the rage.”

“I’m sorry, Roy.”

“It’s not your fault.I can still control it.I feel more in control of it, if that makes sense.”

“That’s good news, right?”

He smirked at her and she was taken aback by the sadness in his eyes.  

“Yeah, it is.Thanks Blondie.”

“How are you feeling now?”

“Like normal - well, my new normal.”  

“OK, I’m going to come let you out of the cuffs.”She put her tablet down and made to approach, but was cut off when Roy sat up with a grin, the remnants of the ruined cuffs dangling from his wrists.

“I guess we need new cuffs,” he joked quietly.

She smiled back.“I’m glad this didn’t send you the other way, into a crazy rage spiral.”He met her eyes and nodded.They both jumped when they heard Diggle clear his throat, one brow raised and waiting for an explanation.

“Right.I think we have a viable plan to defeat Slade, and any of the other Mirakuru enhanced folks he has.”Felicity launched into her explanation, focusing on Roy or her tablet and avoiding the three other faces who were fixated on her.

“I’ve made up a batch - it’s good to go, safe to administer and it should take someone Slade’s size out for about 8 minutes.You should be able to modify the Vertigo cure arrows and use this instead.Once it’s in his bloodstream it takes about 3 minutes to take effect, then you’ll have 8 minutes to take him down.Roy, I’ll continue to work on something tailored for you.Anything I can do to help you with control.”

He approached, his hand engulfing hers as he shook it.

“Thank you.”

“Of course.”

He headed towards the training dummies, intent on sweating the serum further out of his system.Felicity finally turned and faced Oliver.

“I’ve also created this program.It’s very user friendly, and should help you to track Slade and also keep an eye on any other criminal activity.I’m working on an add on for deep diving background checks as well.”

“Slow down, Felicity.What is all this for?”

She squared her shoulders and met his eyes.

“I told you last night, I was done.I can’t be here when I don’t trust you.Right now, Roy’s the only one here I would trust to tell me the truth.”

“Come on-“ he started, but she cut him off.

“I’m handing you the solution on a silver platter here, Oliver.In spite of the way that you hurt me, the way you all betrayed my trust, I can’t just abandon you to Slade.I can’t leave you on your own to fight him.So take the serum, use the program and take him down.”She slowly met his eyes, then Diggle’s and finally glanced at Sara.  

“I’m leaving the team.I’m also leaving QC,” she silenced Oliver’s protest with a glare.“I need to be by myself for a while to work this out.I’m not angry that you killed my dad.He was sick and he needed to be put out of his misery.But I’m angry that you didn’t trust me to tell me.That you didn’t think I deserved to know who he was, where I came from.I trusted you, unconditionally, and that’s gone now.”

“Felicity,” Oliver tried again.  

“No Oliver, I’ve been working on this since last night, and it’s the only way.I’m asking you to respect my decision.All of you.”

With a frown, he crossed his arms and slumped against the desk.“I’m not going to chain you to your desk and force you to work with us, Felicity.”

“Thank you,” she responded primly, and with a quick turn she entered a few commands on the computer, gathered up her belongings and was gone.

Diggle nudged his partner.

“Come on, shake it off, the sooner we take care of Slade, the sooner you can go after her.”

Oliver turned towards his friend, nodding.Tomorrow was a Saturday.And on this Saturday, Slade Wilson would finally die.

 


	4. Half

The best laid plans often go awry, so it was no surprise that the barely baked one Oliver had pulled together to go after Slade met with a few speedbumps.Thus, it was not until Sunday that Slade Wilson was finally killed, not kicking or screaming or fuming, but calmly sliced through by Oliver and team as he wondered at the euphoria that overtook him.Late Sunday night he was cremated, and in the early morning hours of Monday, dawn kissing the horizon, Oliver released his ashes over the bay, murmuring a prayer in Mandarin and hoping the man who had once been a brother had finally found peace.

Later the same morning found Oliver at his desk at QC, glaring through the glass at Felicity’s replacement.Denise was a more than competent assistant, she had filled in for Felicity several times before, but today her quiet presence grated on Oliver.  

“It’s not her fault, and she’s going to run out of here if you don’t stop with the evil laser eyes,” Diggle spoke up quietly.Oliver switched his glare to his friend who met it head on.After a few moments Oliver slumped, wincing as he felt the pull of the newly placed stitches in his back.Slade Wilson was gone, but not without leaving them all several painful mementos.

“You have any plans on how to get Ms. Smoak’s presence back in that chair?”Diggle questioned, moving further into the room and pulling the glass door shut behind him.

Oliver sighed.“I’m open to suggestions.”

“I got nothing, man.I’m trying to figure out how to get her to answer one of my calls as it is.”

Both men unconsciously mirrored the other, arms crossed and focused on an unknown spot on the floor.

Later that week, Felicity was not surprised to find Diggle sitting on her stoop when she returned home.  

“I thought I made it clear that I needed some space, John,” she greeted reprovingly, not yet sure if she were happy or sad to see her old friend.

“I know, and I’m sorry for overstepping, but we need to talk.”He rose in one fluid movement, angling to the side to allow her to pass him.She recognized the determination in his stance and gave up.

“Fine.Come in.I may have some of that tea you like, but I’m not making it for you.”

He crooked a brow at her as she unlocked the door.

“OK, I’ll probably make it for you too.It’s just boiling water.It doesn’t mean anything.”The truth was, while she was angry at John for not sharing his knowledge, she didn’t feel the same level of betrayal from him.It didn’t _hurt_ as much.Felicity was a wonderful card counter but she didn’t have much of a poker face, so the former Army man saw through her righteous indignation.A few hours later, he left with a slightly damp spot on his shirt and a soft smile, happy to have his short, blonde little sister back, if only in friendship for now.

She didn’t see Oliver for a few more days.She’d felt his presence, lurking in the shadows as she made her way about her life, watching over her no matter what she demanded.She’d allowed it, a small concession she’d justified with internal arguments about boundaries ( _hers_ ) and mental health ( _his_ ).  

Of course, he couldn't wait on her stoop like Diggle.He started off on the wrong foot by waiting for her in her living room in the dark, of course, as she came home after a long day.He continued on his ill-conceived path by demanding to know where she had been, with whom, and why, and not apologizing once for scaring her.Needless to say his attempt to gain her forgiveness was less than successful, leaving him frustrated and angry and her in tears, once again.She cried herself to sleep that night for the first time since she’d learned the truth.After that, she didn’t feel him following her around anymore.She told herself it was what she wanted.

She met Sara a week later, in hindsight realizing she should have expected to run into her at some point, especially considering her new line of work.

“Felicity?”

She sat up too quickly, bumping her head on the bottom of the desk.

“Ow!Hi Sara,” she greeted, rubbing her head gingerly.  

“What are you doing here?”The former assassin glanced around the police station before focusing her gaze on Felicity.

“Oh, um,” Felicity reached into her small workbag and pulled out a business card.“It’s my new business venture.”

Sara took the card.It was deceptively simple, unlike what she expected from the other blond.An ash grey background with charcoal grey block letters.

“Smoak, Inc?”

“Yeah - get it?Smoak, Inc?Smoakinc? Smoking?That’s why the grey.”

Sara snorted and pocketed the card.“Yeah, I get it.So what, you’re like an IT girl for hire?”

“Something like that,” Sara squatted as Felicity retreated under the desk again.“I’m beefing up the firewalls and security for Starling PD.Apparently over the last year or so they’ve had several breaches,” she dropped her voice to a low whisper. “But don’t worry, the program I wrote has a backdoor into the system, and this will make it less detectable.”

“I see.”

“I’ve been doing small gigs around town.Your dad actually got me in on this one.It’s nice to get back into what I know, and it’s even nicer to be my own boss.I’d been thinking about branching out like this for a while.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.I thought I’d get a couple more years of IT experience at QC, but well, then stuff happened and, well, here we are.”

“Cool,” Sara flashed her a small smile.“Hey, so can we talk?”

“Sure, just let me finish up here.I’ll be a few minutes.”

"OK, I’ll say bye to my dad and meet you back here.”

Felicity quickly finished the last of the connections, then dusted herself off and powered up the computer.She entered a few commands and smiled with satisfaction when her protocols came up as expected.  

“All done here, Miss Smoak?” 

“Sure, Detective Lance.I’ll be in tomorrow to train your analysts and drop off the rest of the documentation.”

“Thanks, sweetheart, and it’s ‘Officer’.”

“Uh-huh,” she smiled noncommittally.

“Or just Quentin,” the older man offered, his eyes warm.

“Alright,” Felicity agreed with a grin.“Thank you, Quentin.I know they only brought me in because you vouched for me, but hopefully word of mouth will keep things rolling.”

“Anytime, kiddo.”

“Ready?” Sara interrupted with a quick smile at her father.

“Sure, let’s grab a coffee next door.”

The two blondes walked out together and it didn’t take long for Sara to broach the subject that had been bothering her for the past few weeks.  

“Why don't you hate me?”

Felicity stopped mid-stride and studied Sara’s face.“Are you kidding?Why don’t you hate me?”

“Why would I hate you?”

“Sara, my father was in a horrible place, and by all accounts, he kept you hostage for a year.I can’t begin to imagine what he put you through.”

“He wasn’t all bad, Felicity.He saved my life.Yes, he put me through hell, but in the end I’d have been dead or worse without him.And regardless, his actions are not yours, and they are not your fault.”

The girls silently agreed to skip the coffeehouse and instead walked slowly towards Felicity’s townhouse.

They arrived and Felicity ushered Sara inside, setting her things down on the couch before turning the kettle on.She invited Sara to take a seat before appearing with steaming mugs of green tea.They drank in companionable silence for a few minutes before Felicity blurted out the question that had been haunting her for weeks, years even.

“Sara?What was he like?”

Sara settled back into the couch, closing her eyes for a long moment before answering.“He was incredibly smart, Felicity, like you.Incredibly driven too, though I never knew why at the time.One time,” she continued with stories that didn’t demonize her friend’s father late into the night, finally covering her with a blanket after she fell asleep on the couch.“Sleep tight, Smoak.”Pressing a light kiss to her forehead, Sara locked the door behind her and disappeared into the night.

After her talk with Sara, Felicity felt lighter than she had in a long time.Her consulting business was booming, especially after Walter contracted her to test and subsequently beef up the systems at the bank.She spent each day working busily on new problems and returned home at night generally exhausted.On her days off, she continued to work on the Mirakuru antidote for Roy, giving up on an overall cure and instead concentrating on a more stable formula that he could use as needed.She met up with Diggle from time to time, and had plans to meet up with Sara and her father in the coming weeks.Felicity wasn’t there yet, but she was slowly getting herself back to happy.

It was probably this sense of wellbeing that caused her to dismiss her porch light being off and she stepped onto her stoop and dug through her purse for her keys.She didn’t have time to scream when a hand firmly covered her mouth from behind while a steel-like arm pinned her to an unyielding body, knocking her purse to the ground as she was pulled further into the shadows.

 

 


	5. Same river, different water

When Felicity was 11, she’d been caught in a riptide at the beach. No matter how hard she’d kicked, twisted, and tried to pull with her arms, she kept getting pulled further and further away from land. She’d been on the verge of panic, the pressure in her lungs turning to pain, her already blurry vision clouding when her uncle grabbed her by the ankle and pulled her out. 

That’s how she felt now, trapped and out of control, panicking in a way she logically knew was wrong but couldn't stop. She could feel her attacker pulling her through the bushes, down the road, and further into the darkness. He slowed and ducked into the alley, pressing her tightly against the rough brick. 

“I’m sorry, Felicity, are you OK?”

She blinked a few times as Diggle’s face finally came into focus, his hand still pressed over her mouth as he held her against her neighbor’s garage (Mrs. Finklestein, unit 252, very vocal about proper placement of trash cans on pickup day). He dropped the arm holding her up and brought a finger to his lips, not releasing her fully until she slowly nodded. She took a huge, gasping breath, oxygen flowing back into her lungs just as they had on the beach so many years ago. 

“I’m sorry to grab you like that, Felicity, but they were already inside, I had to get you out of there.” His voice was a hushed whisper and she could see his fear for her in his eyes. She bent over, her hands on her knees as she tried to control her breathing. 

“What are you talking about, Digg? Who? What is going on?” Her voice rose a little in fear and he warned her with a glare. 

“Not here. Come on, it’s not safe. Let’s get to the car and I’ll explain. Right now we’re too exposed. Can you keep up?” He glanced dubiously at her flats, not sure if they would stay on in an open run.

She nodded, then followed him as he silently slipped deeper into the shadows, avoiding the light for about half a mile until he motioned for her to stay. He circled a nondescript sedan, checking for any signs of tampering before waving her over.

“Get in the back - cover up with the blanket and stay down.” She complied silently, acknowledging that if Digg was this scared, she had reason to be as well.

He took off in darkness, circling for a few blocks before turning on the lights and heading downtown.

“Don’t sit up. I’ll try to explain what’s going on.”

“OK.” His voice was muffled by the blanket, but she could still make it out. 

“I’m sorry, Felicity. This one is my fault,” he started, regret tingeing his voice. “There were three ARGUS agents waiting for you to come home tonight.”

Felicity sucked in a breath but didn’t say anything.

“They’ve been tracking you for a while, wondering how Oliver was suddenly so tech savvy. Lyla warned me that they’ve been watching you since you left. They were going to ‘convince’ you to work with them.”

“What do you mean, Digg?”

“The last time they ‘convinced’ someone they put a RFID tracker in his neck. When he failed to follow orders,” he trailed off and she gasped, nearly sitting straight up in outrage.

“They want to do that to me?”

“I don’t know, Felicity. I honestly don’t know. I just can’t have you at risk for that.”

She was silent for a long moment, trying to digest what he had told her. “Thanks Digg, for looking out for me.”

“Just remember that you’re grateful, Felicity. I came to get you as soon as Lyla warned me. I don’t have much of a plan in place yet.”

“It’s OK, Digg. We can figure it out.”

“Felicity, listen to me. I have nowhere safe to take you, except for the foundry.” He winced, waiting for the inevitable explosion. It never came.

“Is he there?” she questioned after a few minutes.

“He’s on patrol. I just need to get you somewhere safe until we can figure out our next move.”

“Fine. Does he know?”

“No, not yet. I came straight from Lyla’s place to you.”

She took a deep breath, mentally counting down from 3, then 5, then 37 in an effort to calm her nerves. She felt the car slowing and braced herself.

“I’m going to ditch the car here, we’re going to have to go the rest of the way on foot. Are you OK?”

“Yeah.” She didn’t even convince herself and instead concentrated on wiggling out of the car, again following Diggle as he guided them through the back alleys of the Glades. She was surprised at the wave of relief she felt when she saw the hidden door to the foundry, but she didn’t allow herself to relax until it was firmly shut behind them. 

“John,” she started as he led her down the passageway.

“I know, Felicity, and if I had any other choice I would take you somewhere else, but until I can make that happen, this is the safest place for you to be.”

“I know, Digg, I just,” she trailed off, unable to put words to her fears.

“I’m sorry, Felicity. I’ll make sure he stays out of your way, and get you out of here as soon as we can. You caught their interest, probably because of me, and I’m going to get you out of this.”

She stopped, reaching up to put a hand on his arm. “Hey - it’s not your fault. ARGUS’s actions aren’t your fault.”

“They’re targeting you because of your connection to me and Oliver, Felicity. I don’t see how this isn’t my fault.”

She huffed, “Digg, they could have approached me like normal people. This isn’t anyone’s fault but theirs. I need to get to a computer, then we can talk next steps.” She turned and led the way down the hall, not waiting for him.

“I’ll square things with Oliver, Felicity. Like I said, we’ll keep contact minimal.”

“Thanks.” She stiffened as they neared the lair and she heard the sounds of someone pummeling the practice dummy.

“He's supposed to be out on patrol. We’ve been tracking a new gang that’s dealing weapons,” He motioned for her to stop and went in to the lair to check out the situation, calling over his shoulder after a moment.

“It’s just Sara. You’re good.”

Felicity took a deep breath and stepped into the space she helped create, trying to block out the feelings of familiarity that threatened to overwhelm her.

“Hey Sara,” she said, a wry grin twisting her lips as she waved.

“Hey, what’s up? Why are you here?”

Diggle stepped in and brought Sara up to date as Felicity approached her old workstation. She braced herself for an emotional onslaught, memories turned painful, some sort of visceral reaction, but was surprised when she didn’t feel anything. She was torn to realize that her feelings seemed to surround the man, not the place. She sighed, not wanting to delve into that particular can of worms and turned to catch the tail end of Diggle’s conversation with Sara.

“-surprised to see you here,” he was saying, his eyes questioning.

“Roy called. Thea had some sort of emergency and he couldn’t get ahold of you, so I came in.”

“So you’re still set on branching out then?”

Sara turned to the side, consciously or unconsciously opening up the conversation to include Felicity. Their eyes met.

“I broke up with Oliver. I’m thinking of moving to Central City, keep an eye on my mom for a while.”

Felicity was speechless, which was a rarity that brought a sad smile to Sara’s lips.

“Slade’s gone. Nyssa took the League off my back. We were at odds over going after the smaller stuff. I think we both needed our space, and with the way he’s been lately,” she trailed off. “It just, it opened my eyes, and I owe it to myself to try and explore what’s out there on my own.”

“But,” Felicity started, unhappy to see her new found friend go.

“I’ll still be around, I’m still working on repairing my relationship with my sister. I think we all needed space for a while, you know?”

Felicity knew all about space, needed, wanted, well utilized space. “Yeah, I know what you mean.” She stepped forward and gave Sara a light hug. “Just don’t forget your friends, when you’re building your big new life in Central City. Oh, speaking of, you should see me from time to time. You know, when I come up to sit with Barry.”

“Well, now you’ll have a place to crash,” Sara offered with a wide grin and light punch to the shoulder. Felicity pretended to flinch, but quailed when she felt Digg’s gaze on her.

“Don’t think I didn't notice, by the way, Miss Smoak. You haven’t been training, have you?”

“Um, I’ve been busy?”

“Busy could have gotten you dead, or worse. I’ll have to start training you again, as soon as we figure out next steps.”

“Is that a threat?” Felicity snarked, hating the thought of getting thrown around the mats but knowing he was right. Regardless of the fact that she’d distanced herself from their operations, she still knew what went bump in the night, and accepted there were threats out there.

“It’s a promise, Felicity.”

“Speaking of, I dropped my purse when you grabbed me.”

Diggle smiled. “I snagged it.” He handed it over, grinning when she retrieved her undamaged tablet with a whoop.

“I’ll still need some clothes and necessities, but at least I didn’t lose my baby.” Diggle shook his head with a snort as Sara stepped closer.

“What do you need? Digg, how many days do you think she’ll be on the run?”

“I don’t know. ARGUS is tough, they aren’t going to just fold.”

“Well, with you guys here, I can run out and grab a few things to get her started.”

Felicity smiled gratefully at the other blonde. “Thanks.” She proceeded to email her a list of toiletries and sizes, knowing that Sara would put the account Oliver maintained for their missions to good use. 

“Is there anything you think you’ll need from home? I can drop by there and see if they are still waiting around for you.”

“They likely won’t be,” Diggle interrupted. “They probably have surveillance on her town house though.”

Sara snorted, showing what she thought of government surveillance and ARGUS with a flip of her hair.

“Don’t put yourself at risk, but if you do get a chance, I have a spare set of glasses and stuff for my contacts under the bathroom sink.”

“Gotcha.” With that she gathered her jacket and was out the door. In the silence after Sara left, Felicity regarded Diggle. “Soooooooo……. Now what?”

He shrugged in frustration.

“I honestly don’t know. Lyla said to get you out and safe. That means they want something big, or they think that you’re a free agent now that you’ve left us.”

“You don’t have to sound so dramatic about it, Digg. Be honest, you guys have been able to get all the information you need since I’ve been gone.”

“I told you the other day, Felicity. You were never just about providing us with information. You were part of this team, and without you, it’s not the same. If you want the truth-“

“I don’t.”

“What?”

“I don’t want the truth, Digg. I told you the other day. I’m done. Let’s just get through this so I can get out of here.”

“I wish you didn’t feel that way, Felicity.”

“I know, and if wishes were hard drives we’d all be Bill Gates. Now, what exactly did Lyla tell you?” She sat down at her station, cringing at the set of her chair.

“Sorry - we’ve all been using it.”

She reset it in silence, getting the height right and the tension just as she liked it before she stretched her fingers and started her searches.

“Tell me anything and everything you have ever heard of ARGUS, Digg.”

As he talked and she typed, she tried not to notice the blip on a side monitor, tracking Oliver’s position as he followed his own leads. She set several searches going, then reached for her tablet and copied a few files over to the main server.

“What are you doing?” Diggle questioned.

“A few things. One, I’m hacking into their server, or at least as much of it as is available online. I’m trying to determine what they want me for, and what possible leverage they think they have. I’m also working on a couple of defensive strategies.”

“Defensive strategies?”

The half smile she flashed his way sent chills down his spine. 

“Let’s just say, while they may think they have leverage, I definitely do.”

“Okay. You can be really scary, you know that?”

“Good. I hope they realize I'm not just going to roll over and do what they want. And I’m damn sick of people breaking into my place.”

“Should I ask?”

“Nope. I handled it.”

“Okay. I’m just going to remind you that we will be training.”

She groaned. 

“No whining, Felicity. What if I had been someone else?”

She didn’t respond, just pouted. 

“Not going to do you any good, Miss Smoak.”

“Fine. We’ll figure something out,” they were interrupted by her stomach growling.

“Hungry?”

“Starved. I rebuilt the server at the SNB today, totally lost track of time. All I’ve had today is a banana and a few cups of coffee.”

“A few?”

“Walter has really good coffee, Digg.”

“Big Belly?”

“Please - the usual.”

He glanced at the monitor for a moment, judging Oliver’s location. 

“I’ll send him a text to warn him that you’re here but I should be back before he is.”

“That would be good, John.”

He squeezed her shoulder and was gone, leaving her to install a few updates and work on the program she wanted to use on ARGUS. Sucked in to the world of code, she lost track of the blip on the side monitor, and was surprised when the foundry door clanged shut. Oliver stumbled in, one hand clasped to his shoulder.

She froze, not wanting him to see her yet. Silently, she chided herself for losing herself in code, angry because the wave of emotion she’d expected when she arrived at the lair hit her hard, leaving her unbalanced and at a loss. Where was Digg?

She checked her phone, noting the text he had sent telling her he’d run into AJ at the diner and would be delayed.

“Felicity?”

She gulped, gathering herself before turning to face Oliver.

“Long story,” she said, pointing to herself and the monitors. “I take it you haven’t heard from Digg?”

He held up his phone painfully, the screen shattered.

“Ran into some trouble,” he turned quickly, heading for the medical cabinet. She gasped as the saw the wound, cutting through the fabric on his back. Without thinking, she rose and rushed to help him. No matter what, she wasn’t about to let anyone suffer while she was able to help. 

Her instincts took over, and she pushed him into a seated position on the treatment table, ignoring the arch of his brow. He groaned as she pulled the jacket away from his wound and she murmured an apology, then gritted her teeth as she cut his shirt away. She tugged at the cloth, wincing as a fresh flow of blood welled to the surface, and set about cleaning the wound.

“I’m going to need to stitch.”

He nodded, not replying. 

She gathered her materials in silence, quickly and efficiently pulling the torn ends of flesh together, then wrapping a bandage around his shoulder while checking for other injuries. She noted a lot of cuts and bruises that seemed to be healing, but nothing that seemed fresh.

“There’s nothing else, just a couple of bruises,” his voice interrupted her thoughts, his ability to read her still in place. He shrugged the rest of the way out of his jacket, gingerly rotating his arm to test his mobility.

“Thanks,” he murmured, still watching her warily.

She ducked, the urgency of the moment gone and giving way to the emotions she’d been struggling to keep in check. She looked down at her hands, noting blood on the gloves and headed to the sink to clean up without responding. He huffed out an angry breath and retreated towards the bathroom to shower and change.

As she watched the blood swirl down the drain, she frowned. Two years ago she would likely have been sick, if not passed out, at the sight before her. Now it was second nature for her to be able to clean and stitch an five inch gash without even thinking about it. She’d lost that sense of naivety early. Angry now, she shut the sink off and dried her hands, turning to head back her station and coming up short as she spotted Oliver across the room, solely focused on her.


	6. Cease

“You never answered my question,” Oliver started, his voice low. He'd dressed in his usual cargo pants but hadn’t pulled on a shirt yet, draping a towel around his neck as he eyed her, his head cocked to one side. “What are you doing here?”

Felicity bit her lip, considering her options. She knew if she mentioned the threat, Oliver would feel responsible and ride roughshod over her to keep her out of Amanda Waller’s hands. She’d seen him do it time and time again, with Thea, Laurel and even Sara, though he’d been promptly shut down in that endeavor. 

Felicity had wanted the cushion of Digg’s presence to at least try and keep Oliver somewhat removed from the situation. Purposely averting her gaze, she made her way to the computer bank as she tried to buy some time. 

“Felicity,” his impatience was starting to show through in his rough tone. “Why are you here?”

Turning to face her computers she cringed, hating the lie and consequences that were to follow. “Digg mentioned that there was an issue in one of the programs so he brought me in to run some updates. You were supposed to be on patrol.” She noticed her hands shaking and quickly pulled up a screen and began to type in some code, anything to get herself back in control.

There was silence as she focused on the screens, minimizing her searches on ARGUS.

“Where’s Roy?” Felicity couldn’t suppress a start as his voice came from directly behind her. 

“Thea had some sort of emergency at Verdant, so he called Sara in. She left when Diggle and I got here.”

“And Digg?”

“He went to grab dinner, but ran into AJ at Big Belly. He should be back soon.”

“Hmm,” he was standing too close and she could feel his gaze cutting through the back of her head. “Felicity?”

She straightened in her chair, refusing to turn around. “What?”

“Want to tell me what you’re hiding?” 

She froze, her mind racing to find a way to brazen it out.

His voice gruff with anger now, sounding more like the Arrow than Oliver, he continued as he slowly rotated her chair so she was looking up at him. 

“Your hair is a mess and your clothes are wrecked. It looks like you’ve been crawling through garbage. You just minimized at least five active search windows. So tell me,” he whispered, leaning down so his eyes were level with hers. “What are you trying to hide?”

She gulped, for once cowed into silence.

His eyes narrowing when she still didn’t answer, couldn’t answer, he leaned closer, his lips against her ear. 

“Since when do you lie to me, Felicity?”

For some reason his statement set the suppressed anger in her back to a boil. She pushed herself up out of the chair, as she had done so long ago. She expected him to back off, just like before, but he surprised her by gently pushing her down into her chair.

“Nuh-uh. You’ve been running for weeks. You’re here now and we’re going to talk.”  
He studied her face, an angry flush tinting her cheeks as she glared up at him. Her lower lip was starting to flatten, a sure sign she was about to go on a tirade, probably against his ‘Neanderthal ways’. 

“Answer me, please.”

The politeness of his words was belied by the curtness in his tone.

She licked her lips and took a breath, only to have him cut her off again. “The truth this time.”

She scowled at him. 

“Now, Felicity.”

She huffed out an angry breath, trying to at least turn away from him, but he maintained his light hold on her shoulders. She frowned at him but he shook his head slightly. “Now.”

“Fine,” she capitulated, his attitude causing her to feel like a spoiled child. “ARGUS wants me for something. Digg grabbed me as soon as he heard but he didn’t have a safe house set up so he brought me here. As soon as he does get something set up, I’ll be out of your hair.”

His hands dropped away from her as he took an involuntary step backwards, giving her the space she needed to rise. She took advantage and stood, quickly trying to put distance between them as he absorbed the news. She made it a few steps before she felt his hand clamp around her upper arm, his grip not painful but impossible to break.

“You weren't going to tell me?” He turned her to face him, backing her against the medical table. 

“No, I was, we were. I just wanted-“

“A buffer.” His tone was dull. 

“Yeah.”

“Felicity,” he started, his tongue wetting his lips as he formulated a response. “I get that you’re mad, you feel betrayed. But have I ever not protected you?”

She didn’t respond, looking down at their feet as she searched for a way out of the conversation. She tried to turn to the side, move around him, but his hands came down to rest on either side of her, not touching her but keeping her trapped within his cage nonetheless.

“Felicity, please. Don’t let this, whatever you think this is between us, don’t let it put you in danger.”

She pushed against his chest gently but forcefully, getting nowhere. From the beginning, she’d always handled Oliver, moving his bulk around easily. She never realized how much leeway he had been giving her until that moment. 

“Let me by please, Oliver,” her voice was low and husky, her eyes still fixed on the floor. There was a dent in the cement from one of Roy’s training mishaps. She wondered if they would ever be able to fill it in.

He didn’t, of course, and instead curved himself more tightly around her, his hands resting on the table but his forearms framing her hips.

“Look at me.” His Arrow voice was back and though she wanted to, she couldn’t defy the direct order.

She slowly glanced up at him, noting the tension in his body until she met his eyes.

“I don’t care how angry you are at me, I will never stop protecting you. So please, talk to me.”

She swallowed, trying to break his gaze but unable to. “I just, I need some space.”

“I’ve given you space, Felicity. That didn’t work out for either of us, so no. Talk to me.”

“I don’t know what else you want me to say, Oliver. ARGUS heard I went independent and Waller decided she wanted to add me to her collection. Diggle said there were three agents in my house when he grabbed me today. Sara went to buy me some essentials and then we’ll come up with a better plan to hide out. In the meantime, I’m trying to come up with a good plan of attack.” The words spilled out of her, and when they were finally out he blinked, allowing her to look away. She could feel the tension draining from his frame even as the knots built up behind her neck. 

“You don’t have to be involved in this, Oliver. Between me and Diggle, we have it under control.”

She knew the words were a mistake before they left her mouth, but she was never known for her verbal control. She didn’t expect the strength of his reaction though, as he grabbed her by the waist and hefted her up on the table, one hand on her hip pinning her in place. She caught a glimpse of the fury banking in his eyes, the blue flashing black before brightening to a flinty grey. He wrapped a hand around her jaw and forced her gaze up to his.

He didn’t say anything, just glared mercilessly at her until she closed her eyes in defeat.

“I’m sorry, that was uncalled for, I know,” she murmured, her shoulders slumping. 

“You think?” he snapped, his grip relaxing against her chin, fingers curling around the nape of her neck.

“It’s just,” she started, trying to form her argument before the verbal diarrhea took over. “It’s just, I don’t want to need you, Oliver.”

“Felicity,” he started, looking at her gently now. “I don’t care what’s between us, how angry I make you, how stubborn you decide to be,” he huffed at her look of indignation. “You’re always going to need me, just like I’m always going to need you.”

She didn't reply, didn’t have a reply, and instead crossed her arms around her shoulders. 

“Will you talk to me now?”

Her head snapped up, angry words on the tip of her tongue.

“I told you I needed time, Oliver. You don’t seem to want to give me that,”

“Because we don’t have time, Felicity. And you’re just using whatever space I give you to run further away!” He pushed back from the table for a moment but was back immediately, both hands on either side of her now. “I get it. I lied, I betrayed your trust. I made a really shitty decision, followed by a few more shitty decisions,” he used his thumb to angle her chin up, catching her eyes. “I. Am. Sorry.”

“You can’t just bully me into forgiving you, Oliver. I’m willing to discuss the ARGUS problem, but not this. Let me up.”

“No.”

She put her hands against his shoulders and pushed, but gasped when he caught her wrists and pinned them to the cold steel of the table.

“No.”

“Let me up,” she started again, her temper rising to match his.

“No. Not until you talk to me. Not until you accept that I am sorry and we move past this.”

“You’re asking too much, Oliver.”

“Am I?” his voice was a pained whisper, and she hardened herself against it.

“Felicity,” he started.

“No.”

“Just tell me. Why me? What did Sara and Digg say to you to allow you to move forward? I can’t eat, I can barely sleep. Tell me what I have to do, Felicity. And don’t say leave you alone.”

She was at a loss, knowing he was hurting as much as she had been. Felicity was ever soft hearted. “Don’t do this to me, Oliver,” she whispered. “Don’t make me feel guilty because you fucked up.”

“Don’t do this to us, Felicity. I fucked up, but we have to move past it. You have to help us move past it.”

“How could you,” she breathed out. “How could you hide that from me? How could you share it with that woman? How could you make them hide it from me? I don’t care about Sara, Sara and I never had what you and I had. Digg and I are different, but at least I know his motives for being in my life were true. I cared about you, Oliver. I trusted you. And it was all a lie.” She broke off before she could say too much. 

“No, it was never a lie, not after the first. Don’t let yourself believe that. I’m sorry. I’m sorry a thousand times over. I didn’t expect you, and by the time I realized I’d fucked up so badly, it was too damn late. I’m sorry.”

“I trusted you. You told me I could trust you, and I believed you,” she accused. 

He grabbed her hand and held it to his chest, forcing it flat until she could feel his heart beating, slow and steady despite the maelstrom between them. “You can still trust me. This- us-we are not a lie, Felicity. You will always be able to trust me.”

“I can’t,” she tried, pulling on her arm.

“You have to, Felicity. We have to.”

“Please Oliver, just give me some space to think,” she was pleading now, knowing she was getting sucked right back down the rabbit hole.

“I gave you space, Felicity. I need you. Please.”

She sighed and pushed halfheartedly against him, exhausted not just from their discussion but from the weeks of holding on to her anger. She sagged and her forehead fell against his shoulder, tears spilling over as he wrapped his arms around her.

“Please, Felicity,” he whispered, stroking her hair as he pulled her more tightly against him. 

Unable to speak, she nodded, giving in as he reached to lift her against his chest.

“Are we interrupting something?” They both jumped at the strange voice, Oliver turning to see Amanda Waller backed by ten armed agents standing coolly in the middle the Foundry floor.


	7. Well-oiled Fury

Never let it be forgotten that Felicity Smoak was a genius.Grade-A, 200+ IQ, too smart for MENSA genius.And while she had an amazing capacity for retaining facts, be they ever so random, her true advantage was that her brain processed things just that much faster than everyone else’s.And even as Felicity had this amazingly fast brain, Oliver had physical reflexes that were just as superior.Pair the two of them together, and the result was always guaranteed to defy logic.

Oliver powered them both over the steel medical table, locking his hand around the edge and pulling it over behind them.Felicity rolled to the side as they landed, grabbing her tablet as Oliver muscled her behind him.

“Close your eyes and get ready to move,” she whispered, tapping away at the screen.Oliver acquiesced immediately, the trust of their partnership overruling his instincts for the moment.

 “3, 2, 1,” she counted, tapping the screen one last time before the Foundry was plunged into darkness.  

 “You’re overreacting,” taunted Waller in the silence.  “And besides, we have night vision.”

Felicity glanced at Oliver again, noting his closed eyes even as she listened to the rustling of Waller’s men pulling on their masks.She hit the screen again and the lights began to flash like strobe lights, only much brighter. The lair suddenly lit up as if by fireworks.Waller’s men screamed in agony, the light intensified by their own goggles and blinding them for a few precious moments.  

“Go,” she murmured under her breath, hoping she’d given Oliver enough time to reach his bow.He didn’t hesitate, moving faster than she had ever seen as he flung himself over the barrier.She huddled behind the table, unable to stifle a yelp when she heard a shot ring out.

“Very smart, Miss Smoak, but you’re overreacting. I just want to talk.”

 Felicity peered into the shadows of the foundry, relieved to see Oliver’s shape crouched behind the computer bank.  She could feel his eyes on her, the gleam in the darkness somehow reassuring.

“I don’t want to hurt you, or Mr. Queen.I just want to talk.”

Felicity saw the small inclination of Oliver’s head and took the hint.She’d alerted the rest of the team but they were at least ten minutes out, so she knew they had to stall for time. 

“What do you want?”

“Come out, Felicity.Let’s talk like civilized people.”

“Why don’t you tell me what you want first, then I’ll decide who’s civilized,” Felicity retorted.She felt rather than saw Oliver’s brow quirk at her and shrugged into the darkness.She couldn’t help it, she was annoyed and it was showing.

 “Very well,” Waller started, “I have a proposition for you.  I heard that you’re on the market, and I think a partnership would be mutually beneficial.”

“Thanks,” Felicity snarked.“But no thanks.I’m not interested.”

“Miss Smoak, you haven’t heard what I have to offer yet.”

“Let’s cut to the chase.Tell me what you want and whatever it is that you have that you think will motivate me to help you.”

She definitely heard Oliver snort that time, but she didn’t look over, instead concentrating on the rustle of Waller’s clothes as she stepped closer.

“I’d stop right there if I were you,” she warned.“Oliver’s a little protective.”She couldn't contain her own grin as she heard the bowstring being pulled back and the retreating click of heels against the cement of the Foundry floor.  

“Very well, Miss Smoak.We’ll do this your way.You’ll come to learn that I’m willing to be flexible.”

“Get on with it, Miss Waller.What do you want?”The tablet vibrated in her hands and Felicity focused her attention on it, tapping furiously.   

“ARGUS was very impressed with the Mirakuru antidote you’re rumored to have developed,” Waller started.“Are you familiar with IN-613?”

“Deadly flu strain, also _rumored_ to have been developed by ARGUS as a biological weapon.Extremely virulent, extremely contagious, luckily not aerosolized.Yet.”

“Yes.We need a cure.”

Felicity sat in silence for a few minutes, her mind working over the entire situation.

“Why did you come to me?My forte is computer science, not medicine.”

“A fact we are well aware of, Miss Smoak.There is a cure out there, unfortunately the developer is reluctant to share.I understand you are well versed in the art of hacking.We were hoping that you could be motivated to retrieve the formula for us.”

“Ah, yes, the stick.I guess we’ll get to the carrot eventually.What are you trying to hold over my head, Miss Waller?”

“I don’t know what you’ve heard about how we operate, Miss Smoak, but ARGUS does not blackmail,” Waller protested, her voice silky smooth in the lie.

“Cut the crap, Waller.What do you think you have on Felicity?”Oliver’s voice echoed through the lair, angry.

There was a short sigh, then Waller’s voice cut through the darkness.“Why don’t you two come out and we’ll talk.”

“You tried that already, Miss Waller.Let’s get on with it.Show me your stick.” Felicity cringed at her gift for awkward phrasing even as the words tumbled out.She chanced a brief look at Oliver and reddened when she felt his disbelieving stare on her.

“I understand your mother is living in Las Vegas, Miss Smoak,” Waller’s voice was smug as she worked up her threat.

“That’s enough,” Felicity sprung to her feet, tablet in hand.“Miss Waller, I have no intention of working for you or ARGUS, no matter what you think you’re holding over my head.With that in mind, I suggest you forget you ever heard of me, my friends, and _especially_ my family.”She stalked around the edge of the table, ignoring Oliver’s urgent motion to stay down.

“Miss Smoak, why would I do that?” Waller smirked at her, hands on hips as the blonde approached.

“Oh, I was so hoping you would ask,” Felicity drawled.She held up her tablet, seeing Oliver rise out of the corner of her eye.She’d been tracking the rest of the team and knew they were moments away, listening to everything over the comms.

“First, your ten man posse over there, that you brought to invite, and not intimidate?Drop the guns and get in the corner,” she paused as Waller studied her, then waved the men off, the clatter of their weapons dropping on the ground echoing through the Foundry.

Oliver contained a smile, knowing she was feeding the rest of their team valuable tactical details.  

“Now, Miss Waller,” Felicity smiled, going into charm mode, which Diggle secretly referred to as her very scary mode.

“You know I’m good with computers, and electronic things, right?Right.You made the mistake of bringing your cell phone today.I’ve just uploaded a virus of my own making to your system and it should be nesting into ARGUS’s mainframe right about… now.”

Felicity smiled when her screen flashed green.She held it up so Waller could see.“Yep, right on time.Now look here, Eugenia,” she started.“Oh, yeah, I’m super fast at background checks too.And very, very thorough.”  

Oliver stepped forward, enjoying the look of pure frustration on Waller’s face.  

“You have quite a bit in savings, and this trust here, oh, and this one here,” Felicity sing-songed.

“Get to the point, Smoak.”

“My point is this, _Miss_ Waller.You, and ARGUS, are to leave me and mine alone.Should you need help going forward, you will ask.You will not try to blackmail, you will not try to kidnap, and you will not intimidate us.The virus I uploaded can be activated with a word, by any one of us.Your personal information?I’m sure there are plenty of people who would love to know what makes you tick, or sweat. That can be released as well, just as easily.Oh, and by the way,I managed all this in just over an hour, with limited resources.So my point, Miss  _Eugenia_ Amanda Waller, is this.If you need my help, you ask.Politely.I’ll research the issue, and if I decide to help you, I will.Standard fee applies.”

Oliver had to bite the inside of his cheek to hold back laughter as Felicity handed the shellshocked Amanda Waller her card.A rustle overhead drew his attention to the ceiling, and a smile split his face when he saw Digg crouching in the rafters, his gun aimed at the cluster of soldiers in the corner.Sara stepped out onto the staircase, her attention focused on Waller and Felicity, and Roy popped out from the back entrance, his bow at the ready.

Felicity didn’t even blink.

“Send me the who, what, and why of your IN-613 issue.I have a feeling there’s more you’re not telling me, but if I can help prevent a bigger problem, I will.Now please leave.”With that, Felicity spun on her heel, striding towards the back entrance of the lair.Oliver tensed, seeing Waller battle with the urge to go after her, then relaxed when the diminutive head of ARGUS turned and waved her men out, passing Sara on the stairs as they clambered up and out of the Foundry.  

Silence reigned in the cavernous space until Roy confirmed the ARGUS team had driven off in matching black SUVs. 

“Jesus H, Felicity.We may have the muscles and training, but you are one scary bitch when you want to be!” Sara cackled, thumping her friend on the back.  

Felicity blushed, shrugging.“She made me mad.I don’t like people trying to force me into anything, let alone whatever schemes she has up her sleeve.”

“I hope I never make you mad like that, Blondie.Damn.”Roy pulled her into his side, his arm draped over her shoulder.“So, are you back?”

“Back?” She straightened and pulled away, Roy letting her get an arm’s length away before snagging her by the wrist and tugging her back.

“Nuh-uh.Come on.We miss you.Things don’t run as smoothly without you here.Digg can’t type with his giant man hands on your keyboards.And they never get my Chinese order right.And Oliver’s grouchy, like all the time.Oh, and I don’t know if she told you, but Sara’s abandoning us.Ow!” He faked a wince as Sara smacked him in the back of the head.

 “Stop badgering her, kid,” the blonde admonished.  

 "I, uh, I don’t know Roy.  I still have to think some stuff through.”

“I get it, Blondie,” he sighed as he pulled her in for another quick hug.“Just let me know when you’re ready to come back.You know you miss it.”

Diggle and Sara approached, and the trio engulfed her in a hug before dispersing.  

“I’ve, uh, I’m going to head out,” Felicity stammered, suddenly nervous.Her eyes jumped around the lair, never resting on a single spot for too long, never looking at Oliver.

“I’ll give you a ride,” Oliver’s voice was strained, despite the fact that the obvious danger had left, in matching SUVs.

“Uh,” Felicity looked around, noting sourly that not one of the rest of the team was coming to bail her out.

“I’ll give you a ride,” Oliver repeated, taking a step toward her, finality in his tone.

“Fine.”

 


End file.
